Winning at Darlington with a striker in goal was like a dream – Ossett Town boss Craig Elliott

Ossett Town boss Craig Elliott

Craig Elliott admits he could not believe his Ossett Town side beat Darlington 1883 last week with no registered goalkeeper.
Retford United stopper Jody Barford was all set to help Elliott out with a one-off appearance, but the former Garforth player was struck down with illness.
The late withdrawal left Ossett without a goalkeeper and Elliott was forced to put striker Chris Wood between the sticks. Ossett conceded early in the game, but recovered to win 3-1 in an excellent performance.
Looking back on the game, Elliott praised his team for their performance in the Doodson Sport Cup.
“I signed a ‘keeper on the day before, but he got ill so it left us in a bit of an awkward situation in terms of getting someone signed in time,” he told Sports Performer.
“Time was against us and the logistics of being away at Darlington made it difficult. Woody mentioned that he had played in the nets before.
“I was a bit undecided, but he didn’t get tested too much because we played pretty well. It ended well.
“It was a bad dream at first and when I was driving home on the A1 I was thinking ‘have we just gone to Darlington and won with a centre-forward in the nets’.
“It’s one of the most bizarre things I have ever been involved in. We have been on the receiving end of some very good Darlington performances and I still maintain, having seen Curzon, that Darlington are the best team in this league.
“If you finish above them you will win this league.”